Starting Wednesday, Bellingham, Wash.-based grocer Haggen Inc., will provide free prenatal vitamins and fluoride supplements to shoppers in its 15 stores, including four in the Portland area.

Shoppers must have prescriptions for the vitamins and fluoride drops or tablets, but do not need insurance.

Although several discount and grocery chains, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Target Corp., and The Kroger Co.'s Fred Meyer Stores have begun offering a range of prescriptions for $4, Haggen is the first regional grocer to offer the vitamins and fluoride for free. A few other smaller chains nationwide have launched similar programs.

Haggen estimated that without the new program, its shoppers would pay $8 to $19 for the prescription vitamins and about $6 monthly for the fluoride.

The program also will be offered at Haggen's other chain, Top Food & Drug, which has 17 locations in Washington.